Ripe Jackfruit Cake / Pansache Dhonas

Ripe jackfruit cake or pansache dhonas is a delicious cake made with ripe jackfruit and rava or semolina. This Goan cake is also known as pansachi bhakri in Goa. This jackfruit recipe is a unique recipe in which the cake is made from semolina (rava) instead of flour and jaggery instead of sugar and tastes delicious.

Jackfruit means “panas” in Konkani and “pansache” means made of jackfruit. Dhonas pronounced as DHO-A-NAS is a baked preparation usually a sweet made from jackfruit or cucumber, rava, grated coconut and jaggery. Cashewnuts are also added to this sweet from jackfruit. However, raisins and almonds can also be added to make it nutritious.

Pansache dhondas is a traditional dish in Goa. Normally the “rasaal” variety of jackfruit is used in baking as it gives better “mhov” meaning honey. The jackfruit bulbs from the rasaal variety are so sweet that people call it honey.

Rasaal jackfruit has soft pulpy bulbs inside. They are also sweeter compared to the other variety of jackfruit named “kapo.” Kapo also known as barkai has jackfruit bulbs which are stiff and firm.

We also make cucumber cake known as tavsali in Goa in comparable way.

Ingredients used for making jackfruit dhonas:

• Jackfruit: The soft, pulpy variety of jackfruit named rasaal is used in baking this Goan cake. If you are making with firm variety of jackfruit, do add the jackfruit bulb without seed in a mixer and make soft puree.
• Coconut: Freshly grated coconut is added in this recipe.
• Semolina: Semolina or rava is used in this recipe. However, in Goa, people also make it with wheat semolina (dahlia) or rice flour too.
• Cardamom powder: Cardamom powder is added for enhancing the taste and flavor.
• Jaggery: Jaggery is added for sweetness. The flavor of jaggery, jackfruit, coconut and cardamom powder make this cake delicious and unique.
• Dry fruits: Traditionally cashewnuts are added in this recipe. However, raisins and almonds may also be added.
• Ghee: A little bit of ghee is also added in this recipe.

Also try other cake recipes like:

• Watermelon rind cake
• Vegan banana semolina cake with sugar
• Eggless banana rava cake with jaggery.

How to make jackfruit cake at home?

• Roast the rawa (semolina) till it is light brown or till aroma wafts into the air. Keep aside. Let it cool for atleast 20 minutes.
• Remove the soft yellow jackfruit bulb. Add them into a mixer and make a puree out of it. If you are baking the cake with firm jackfruit bulbs, remember to remove the seed first and only use the yellow bulb for making the puree.
• Add the jackfruit puree into a mixing bowl and mix all the ingredients namely jaggery, grated coconut, dry fruits, cardamom powder and salt and add them into a flat baking dish.

jackfruit cake steps

• You can either steam this cake or you can bake it.
• I steamed the cake for 20 minutes using double boiler method.
• Then I used a frying pan, spread 2 tablespoon ghee on it and fried the cake on both sides.
• Alternatively, you can bake this cake in OTG for 30-40 minutes at 180C.
• Insert a knife in the center of the cake, if it comes out clean, it means that the cake is done.

Jackfruit dhonas is usually made from rasaal jackfruit. Please note the variety names rasaal and kapo are commonly used in Goa. In places outside Goa, these names might be unknown or known by different names.

Jackfruit cake recipe is unique to Goa which is a small coastal state in India. When I told my non-Goan friends about a cake made with jackfruit, they were surprised and said “cake made out of jackfruit?”. I said “yes”… and here is the recipe.

Making this cake was a big achievement for me. I first thought of baking it. With power cut few minutes before starting to bake, it was not possible to complete baking. Thanks to the frequent power cuts in Bengaluru.

I used my pressure cooker and tried the double boiler method. But the things were not going proper. So, after 20 minutes I transferred the cake to a frying pan and almost fried it… result was impressive.

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5 from 15 votes

Ripe Jackfruit Cake / Pansache Dhonas

Ripe jackfruit cake or pansache dhonas is a delicious cake made with ripe jackfruit and rava or semolina. This cake is also known as pansachi bhakri in Goa. This jackfruit recipe is a unique recipe in which the cake is made from semolina (rava) instead of flour and jaggery instead of sugar and tastes delicious.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Desserts, Sweet, Breakfast

Cuisine: Goan, Indian

Servings: 6 People

Author: Raksha Kamat

Ingredients

• 2 cups jackfruit pulp
• 1 cup rawa/semolina
• 1 cup coconut grated
• 1 cup jaggery
• 2 teaspoon cardamon powder
• 10 cashewnuts chopped
• 5-10 almonds chopped
• 10 raisins
• 2 tablespoon ghee / clarifies butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

• Roast the rawa (semolina) till it is light brown or till aroma wafts into the air. Keep aside. Let it cool for atleast 20 minutes.
• Remove the soft yellow jackfruit bulb. Add them into a mixer and make a puree out of it. If you are baking the cake with firm jackfruit bulbs, remember to remove the seed first and only use the yellow bulb for making the puree.
• Add the jackfruit puree into a mixing bowl and mix all the ingredients namely jaggery, grated coconut, dry fruits, cardamom powder and salt and add them into a flat baking dish.
• You can either steam this cake or you can bake it.
• I steamed the cake for 20 minutes using double boiler method.
• Then I used a frying pan, spread 2 tablespoon ghee on it and fried the cake on both sides.
• Alternatively, you can bake this cake in OTG for 30-40 minutes at 180C.
• Insert a knife in the center of the cake, if it comes out clean, it means that the cake is done.

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Note: This post was published on 19-Jun-2013 and is republished.